What might be going on with Sidney Rice

In an attempt to get a sense of what might be going on with Seahawks receiver Sidney Rice — who is in Switzerland having what the team called a non-surgical procedure on his knee — I talked tonight with Dr. Luga Podesta, an orthopedic surgeon at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

And what Podesta described is what Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu had done a few years ago, and which is explained really well in this story in the New York Times (and definitely explained a lot better than I can do at this moment, one reason I am linking the article instead of trying to re-write it). Kobe Bryant had the same thing done more recently, as is explained in this story.

Each detail, as the second linked story states, “Regenokine therapy” that involves removing blood from a patient’s affected body party, then removing interleukin proteins from the blood and re-injecting them into the body.”

As Podesta said, the treatments are not available in the United States because they are not approved by the FDA. Podesta said not all pro teams necessarily sign off on such treatments, either. The Seahawks, however, obviously do or Rice would not have gone.

Podesta, though, noted that the things like Tommy John surgery were also once unknown medical procedures that were tried and “are now taken for granted.” Podesta said Regenokine therapy might someday reach that same status.

Podesta (in essentially backing up what Seahawk coach Pete Carroll said) said such treatments are not necessarily signs of a new injury.